Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capsule-type microrobot and a using method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a capsule-type microrobot and a using method thereof, in which the microrobot has a magnetic layer and can operate in response to a magnetic field applied from an external source in order to discharge a medicine.
Description of Related Art
The lifespan of humans has increased with advancements in medicine and science. However, a variety of intractable diseases, such as cancer, as well as tissue injuries caused by accidents are increasing on a day by day basis.
In order to treat such intractable diseases and tissue injuries, microrobotics, i.e. a branch of robotics dealing with microrobots having a diameter of 1 mm or less, has recently been developed. Specifically, a microrobot may be inserted into a human body in order to observe and diagnose the interior of a blood vessel, brain tissue, or a localized portion of the human body, as well as perform a treatment and operations on such portions of the human body.
A typical microrobot of the related art includes a driving part performing a task, a sensor detecting a target point, a power supply supplying power to the driving part, and a radio transceiver transmitting signals to and receiving signals from an external device. Such microrobots have been developed with a focus on the functions of locating cancer cells and observing damaged tissue.
In the related art, a medicine must be directly injected to a target portion of the human body by surgical intervention or the assistance of a machine in order to treat the observed cancer cells or the injured tissue. This may cause a problem in that a portion of the human body, such as a localized portion thereof, a blood vessel, or brain tissue, must be exposed to the outside of the body.
In order to overcome such problems, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0048728 (published on May 11, 2010) disclosed “MICROROBOT CAPABLE OF TRACING AND CURING OF LESIONS BY USING BACTERIA, AN OPERATING METHOD THEREOF, AND A TREATING METHOD THEREOF.”
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the microrobot using bacteria of the related art includes a capsule-shaped microstructure 300 containing a specific medicine and bacteria 200 having flagella. The bacteria 200 are designed to locate cancer cells by detecting a specific substance (e.g., a stimulator) secreted from the cancer cells.
However, since the microrobot using bacteria locates a target by detecting a specific substance secreted from cancer cells, it is difficult to design such a microrobot using bacteria to locate tissues or cells from which no specific substance is secreted.
The information disclosed in the Background of the Invention section is only provided for better understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information forms prior art that would already be known to a person skilled in the art.